


Trial Run

by Bhelryss



Series: telliusweek2017 [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Day 4, Gen, prompt: chains, telliusweek2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-17 22:42:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13086936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bhelryss/pseuds/Bhelryss
Summary: Day 4 (Phoenicis/Kilvas): Proud/Keen / Anger/Greed / Freedom/ChainsChains: The cages and crates are a physical chain, holding them in one place. The strongest one though, is a new invention, that takes away their minds.





	Trial Run

Unlucky stars, is what she complains about. A matter of a bunch of unlucky stars, shining down on her, that allowed this tragedy to happen. Bars in front of her, bars behind. And in the crate next to hers, another Tiger. As far as her eyes can see are captured, scared Laguz. A few birds, most of them shackled, warrior Hawks, though at least one is too young to be a seasoned warrior. 

Beorc, no...humans come in sometimes, in squads, to carry out crates and prisons. Sometimes they bring in new ones. She’s been lucky, she supposes, that she doesn’t know where the others are going. It’s just that she’s so thirsty, so hungry. Sometimes the humans will stare at her and the others, and laugh about the sub-humans, the half-breeds. 

They bring her food, which she throws in their faces on principal, and water that smells wrong, smells fouled. She throws that in their faces too, and the humans skitter away. They don’t bring her any after that, and she almost regrets her temper. 

She bares her teeth, but does not shift. That is probably what the humans waiting for, after all, and she refuses to give those slavers anything.

The Tiger in the cage next to hers, too far away for quiet conversation, is replaced by a Cat, who spits and growls and transforms just to slice at the humans with his claws. She wants to warn them away from it, but the lack of water has made her voice weak. She is growing listless, too exhausted from a lack of food.

The humans slip a bowl into her cage in between the start of the night, when the Hawks begin sleeping fitfully, like clockwork, and morning, which sees those Hawks waking up with a fury in their veins. She falls on the bowl, immediately plunging her face into the water. It tastes horrible, like metal and something strong not quite like pepper, but it quenches the worst of the pointed thirst.

It is a relief to her, for a short time. But when the relief fades, the irritability sets in. She grabs the bowl with both hands, overgrown claws clicking roughly on the edges, and greedily turns it up, swallowing as much as she can as fast as she can, and the excess spills out the sides to soak their clothes. Bowl empty, they fling it against the bars of the cage, and snarl angrily.

Burning up, they pace the length of their confinement, angrier and angrier and so thirsty, so hungry, so  _ angry _ . A human stares at them from the other side, and it is the work of a moment to shift, and then crash against the bars. Angry, so angry, and they would tear through anything in their way to ease that anger. The human comes closer, long robes dragging the ground, but not close enough to rend. They snarl, and swing at him anyway. He is the closest, and they want to fight.

“Feisty.” Izuka says, consideringly. And then he waits, watching. And when they don’t shift back, merely continue to and prowl, on all fours, for much longer than they should be able to, the human smiles. “Very good.” He watches as they try to tear apart the men who are tasked with keeping food and the funny water in their cage. He watches. “Better than expected.”

But, then they die. It’s unexpected, but perhaps not. They’d been stuck in their animal form for so long...

Izuka stands away from the too-thin Laguz body, eyeing up the other selection of trapped, angry and frightened Laguz. “We will choose another one,” Izuka says, perhaps to himself, or maybe to one of the men tipping the dead Laguz out of the cage, so it can be cleaned and readied for a new occupant. Never once does he look at the Laguz that died, nor does he look at the living Laguz with any compassion. Just dispassionately blinking, as Izuka weighs the look of them all.

“Make sure this one lives longer.” Is his order, waving to a young and healthy looking Cat. “I want to know how long the effects last.” Izuka exits, and the young Cat hisses when the humans slip a foul smelling water into his crate.


End file.
